Radiant Hero Vassals

Episode 3: On the Brink of WarWith the negotiations between the Empire Indomitable and the Exalted Deliberative breaking down, the Exalts contemplate on the possible thought of an open war between all three powers. Meanwhile, the others receive some unexpected visitors.

Queen Raya, along with the Royal Consort Benjaho and her circle mate Silk Midnight Princess, then proceeded to Mount Megatalapa with haste to determine the situation of her land which was occupied by the Bull’s forces until recently. Upon arrival, the three were met with a horrifying discovery: All that remained of Mount Megatalapa was a burnt husk of its former self. Further investigation by the three Exalts revealed that a series of controlled geomantic explosions were executed upon the area, resulting in massive essence bursts that ripped the floating mountain’s surface, sparing no survivors. Silk Midnight Princess also noticed that the land form remained afloat, even without the Fair Folk noble living within the freehold. In light of these events, Queen Raya flew back to the Deliberative encampment determined to make the Bull of the North pay.

Back in Lookshy, Azrael Morningstar was visited by a being that introduced herself as Samirena, a Lumen of the Unconquered Sun himself. The Lumen then proceeded to bequeath a quest that allegedly came from Ignis Divine himself: a quest to seek out souls to serve as the Righteous Dead of the Unconquered Sun. Azrael, shocked and unsure of the authenticity of this message, then proceeds to seek out his circle mates to seek for answers , without success. He then proceeds to ask around and wait until companions arrive.

Meanwhile, Dormin found himself flying across the East on the back of a teodozjia onto the Malfean tainted lands in the East. There, sitting on the rock amidst the sands of Cecylene, stood one of his circle mates thought to have fallen during the Invasion of An-Teng: Obsidian Innocence. Innocence then reveals that she came to the realization that only through the Yozis would order be restored. She then continues to try and convince Dormin to join her in serving She Who Lives in Her Name, her “benefactor”. Dormin considers his old friend’s words, and before they part ways, his old circle mate gives him a smooth piece of stone.

With the threat of facing the incoming forces, Lookshy’s General Staff proceeded to formulate their own battle plans. A plan for evacuation was brought forward by Karal Linwei, but was met with fierce resistance from her former friend and head of Gens Maheka, Maheka Lespa. In the end, Queen Raya offered asylum for all those who wish to flee the beleaguered city. Meanwhile, the other deliberators formulate a plan in order to pit the two invading forces against each other. An idea from Midday Emerald resulted to a daring night raid by Azrael Morningstar in which he summoned a cadre of animated skeletons bearing the trappings of Thorn legionaires to attack the Empire’s supply lines. Unfortunately, the presence of a necromancer and a skilled sorcerer reduced the impact of the raid, but this action nonetheless produced the desired results.

Back in the encampment, Queen Raya was visited by the Empire’s sorcerer adept, Samea. She then proceeds to convince the queen to reconsider her decision to wage war on the Empire. With the destruction of Megatalapa, it seemed as if the queen did not wish to relent. However, Samea’s impassioned speech about her love for her tribe somehow made Raya reconsider. Furthermore, it was revealed that the Empire was not responsible for the destruction of Megatalapa as initially believed, and a message from Silk Midnight Princess further cemented the belief that the Deathlord known as The Lover Clad in Raiment of Tears may be somewhat involved in the whole incident. A shaky truce was established, with Samea going back to her camp to try and convince her circle to reconsider the invasion of Lookshy, and with Raya informing the army to refrain from killing members of the Blackwater Mammoth tribe unless in the defense of themselves of their allies.

However, an incident occurred at dawn when a troop of air glider commandos were shot down by Lookshy defenses as they entered the city defenses’ attack range. Raya struggled to contact Samea in order to inform the sorceress about the incident, to no avail. And as the forces of the Deliberative and Lookshy prepare for a retaliatory attack, chaos ensued. Massive tremors soon begin to shake the city and its inhabitants and from the Mourning Fields in the south appeared the terror that brought Thorns to its knees: Juggernaut. The Seventh Legion immediately mobilized its forces as the Mask’s forces came forth from the fortress.

Suddenly, the Greater Sign of Travel lights up the sky and a great flash of yellow light appeared to the north. As the light fades, the army of the Empire appears. Huge beasts of burden, siege machines, and barbarians litter the plains in a display of strength that has not been seen since the Tepet legions fell in the frozen tundras of the north.

As the three stand face to face on the open plains of Lookshy, a lone figure dressed in the garbs of ancient Thorns walks out of the Deliberative encampment. With her daiklaves secured in their sheaths, she then raises her hand and points out to the sky as Mars and Saturn appear on the heavens above.

Episode 2: The Gathering of ForcesA week has passed since the missives were received by the Exalted Deliberative of Denandsor. Now, the Chosen prepare to head west to aid the city of Lookshy.

After making the preparations for the trip to Lookshy, Her Majesty, Queen Raya of the Exalted Deliberative of Denandsor, along with the other members of the Exalted Deliberative set sail aboard the battle carrier BattleCarrierOne as well as the flagship Silverlight and escorted by the warbirds of the Air Guard. Aboard the Silverlight was the combined legion of the Deliberative as well as the Hellstrider prototype sent by Deliberator Glimmer to serve as reinforcement to the already deployed First Legion, the Heaven’s Hammers.

Suffice to say, the trip to Lookshy was rather uneventful. The fleet arrived outside the city’s walls, and landed on the encampment alloted for the Deliberative forces. The Exalts were then given a warm welcome by the General Staff’s taimyo Karal Linwei of Gens Karal. With the exception of a slight altercation between the taimyo of the security forces in Lookshy and Silk Midnight Princess, suffice to say the members of the Deliberative had a relatively nice reception into the city. They were then escorted to a party hosted by the Gens who have shown support and interest in Denandsor, and some of the Exalts managed to establish some contacts during that evening.

At dawn the next day, Queen Raya along with the other deliberators flew across the river to meet with the Bull of the North in response to their message. The leaders of the two empires met on a hill atop the Bull’s encampment, and in that meeting the deliberators met with their rival once more: Ophilis Ses and Azure Path. Amidst the tension between the two parties, negotiations were made and the deliberators managed to secure Mount Megatalapa from the Bull. However, things took a turn for the worse when the Bull told the deliberators that he wishes to occupy Lookshy, something the deliberators will not allow. A heated exchange continued and things reached a boiling point when the Bull announced that he wishes to install Ophilis Ses as the governor of Lookshy upon its occupation. It was at this point that Queen Raya flatly refused to deal with the Empire any longer. The Bull, disappointed but unwilling to amend to the Deliberatives request, declares that the Empire shall now wage war against the Deliberative for supporting Lookshy. Thus as the sun rises to the sky, the two parties part ways as enemies, each determined more than ever to prove that they are the ones in the right.

A season has passed since the Malfean invasion. With the restoration efforts in the East well underway, the Exalted Deliberative of Denandsor now turns its attention to another pressing matter in the East: Lookshy.

For months, the Mask of Winters has begun launching attacks against the home base of the the Seventh Legion. Though Lookshy may be capable of repelling this threat, Karal Linwei of Lookshy’s General Staff opted to seek out assistance from the Deliberative through her daughter Karal Fire Orchid, for reasons unknown. This request was met with positive responses from the members of the Deliberative who hailed from Lookshy, with Crimson Bladebearer (commander of the Deliberative’s First Legion as well as Queen Raya’s circle mate) being one of its staunch supporters. This of course resulted to the deployment of the First Legion to Lookshy prior to the Malfean invasion.

With the success of the campaign against Yozis, the Deliberative war machine then made its preparations for the possibility of the battle against the Mask’s forces. Over the course of the season, the Legions were reorganized and merged due to the two legions deployed during the Battle of Melhevil suffereing considerable losses. Denandsor’s magitech engineers led by Deliberator Glimmer of the Void continued its research in Hellstrider technology, and was successful in producing three operational units. Meanwhile, Ambassador Midday Emerald of An-teng managed to handle negotiations between the exchange of key information between the Western Trade Alliance and the Deliberative, resulting to the Silverlight being equipped with a new and deadly weapon: a Godspear prototype. Further assistance from the Tengese arrived in the form of a small expeditionary force led by Dormin Azurain and Sky Grandchild, circle mates of Midday Emerald.

Of course, the war effort encountered several snags: one of which was the loss of Mount Megatalapa and its atelier manse due to an attack launched by the Bull of the North a few days after the battle of Melhevil. Another was the drop in orichalcum supply due to the stock being sent to the West in exchange for food (a result of the food crisis brought about by the Malfean invasion). Several members of the Deliberative also left Denandsor in pursuit of personal matters such as Oil in Water, Magnificent Jaguar as well several other Lunars. With the loss of the veteran Lunars, the remaining Chosen of Luna left in Denandsor elected Benjaho as the interim Speaker of the Moon.

Meanwhile, former Deliberator Silk Midnight Princess returns to Denandsor after suffering from an attack in Yu-Shan. The spy mistress of Heaven was accosted by an unknown entity resulting to her losing access to her Celestial level spells. At the advice of her lover, she then flees back to the safety of her circle until the perpetrator is found.

Now, as the forces of the Deliberative ship out to Lookshy, two messengers arrive with requests to meet the members of the Deliberative; one from the Mask of Winters, the other from the Bull of the North.

Upon discovery of the Malfean invasion plans in the East and the fall of Forks under the demons, the Exalted Deliberative and her allies organized a massive effort in order to defend the East (in what is now known as the Second Battle of Melevhil) from turning into part of Malfeas and hopefully reverting the damage caused by the modified reality engine. A few days prior to the battle, the Deliberative sent a small group of Exalts headed by Queen Raya herself to Malfeas in order to find out what the Yozis are planning and to assist in the rescue of members of the Western Trade Alliance captured by the Malfeans during the battle of Forks. Suffice to say, the entire effort was a success, with the group able to not only rescue the captured Solars, but also to destroy a modified Wyldbreaker ship, one of the three modified First Age vessels that were to play a major part in the invasion attempt.

The group also managed to discover that the Yozis have champions of their own as well. These people, whom the demons call the Green Sun Princes, seem to be able to stand toe to toe against the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun. Their capabilities were further revealed during the battle itself, when the Exalts faced off with the army of Malfeas, with Ligier heading the army himself along with the Green Sun Princes. Along with the amassed demon army was the modified reality engine situated on a levitating island fortress pulled by a behemoth, as well as the remaining ship.

What ensued was a fierce battle, with the combined forces of the Eastern powers versus the Malfean army. One of the notable events of the battle was the aerial battle between Deliberative member and Speaker of the Moon Oil In Water with Captain Gyrfalcon. Nonetheless, the members of the Deliberative and their allies showed unparalleled bravery and strength, finally managing to defeat the demons, killing one of the Green Sun Princes, and destroying the reality engine (due to the successful infiltration of Raven into the island fortress). The defense of Creation against the Yozis overall was a success, albeit with considerable losses to the alliance. A season was then spent to deal with the aftermath of the battle, in the hopes of getting things back to normal.

Such is not the case however, as two new threats loom over the horizon. It appears as if the Mask of Winters is finally making his move in the East, with the Juggernaut and his armies so near the walls of Lookshy. And from the north, the Bull and his Empire Indomitable begins to stake their claim into the rich lands of the East, beginning with the invasion of the Exalted Deliberative holdings in Mount Megatalapa.

I have missed updating my journal and since I’ve been on the move and events have been rather … catastrophic of late, I shall take a different approach to this.

Following the utter destruction of Forks and the removal of business interests in that sector of the East many of my own plans have been taken from me as if a rug had been pulled from under my feet. I felt similarly shaken as well. The amount of combat involved and sheer volume of demons forced me to re-assess my individual prowess.

I have channeled my time recently into monitoring the finances of the construction of the Fourth Legion under Magnificent Jaguar and my own fighting capabilities forcing my charms to work in unison where they would be most effective. The study of such magic is draining both mentally and spiritually.

I believe I was at a loss for what next to concentrate my time on when Glimmer sent a request for assistance in tracking some people in Marita. I took it as a break from my regular responsibilities and went there in person. I assumed the mantle of Haru, a Scavenger Lord and Explorer and one of my favorite personalities. Glimmer was not disturbed in the slightest.

He needed me to help track down some merchant or another whose interesting merchandise had triggered flashes of memories from a previous incarnation. As to why he did not use Raven, well, I believe he had some difficulty in tracking that man. Anja Silverclaws must be driving him insane by now.

Glimmer recruited some interesting mortals that are motivated by the revenge they want to enact on the demons who destroyed their village. They were a bit confused but a slight speech got them riling to work for him in any capacity he deemed necessary.

In fact that reminded me of something I wanted to access and set up. I quickly accessed the spy network of the Deliberative for some important areas in the East. I had decided to set up my own as well. I did the paperwork and began the project. I believe it will take a little over a year.

As for Glimmer’s problem, I sent Izumi to find out what she could on official circles while I went underground and tracked the fellow in the streets. I needed the practice. I might get soft. Changing my appearance was no big deal with some applications of charms and my Infinite Resplendence Amulet.

Tracking the movements of this Earth aspected merchant proved to be easy. It was so easy, I just showed the mortal hires of Glimmer where to go and made my way back to our embassy. I shared with Glimmer what I had found and awaited the head of his impromptu gathering of mortals. I returned to him the currency he paid me for the information I gave him and the look on his face was worth the ruse. Glimmer was not amused in the slightest. Sometimes, I think he has no sense of humor.

The merchant was seen going north towards Realm territory with two scales of Realm troops escorting him. He still had that moaning box. The hunter who tracked them eventually returned. She was peppered with a few arrows. The shooter was excellent. None of the shots were fatal but placed in such a way to make sure she would not continue the chase.

Pondering our next move, we suddenly get a call from Dace the other Deliberator based here now. He requests the help of Glimmer to use his God-Strider to stop demon incursions near the borders of the Realm and Deliberative controlled areas without attracting the Realm’s intervention.

We tell him about our problem and Dace told us that the best approach would be to use his contacts in the area. They should be able to facilitate something. Given Dace’s confidence Glimmer agrees.

That resolved, I accompany Glimmer back to Denandsor and receive a summons to the Chamber of the Deliberative. Apparently, Tepet Ejava, proclaimed Shogun of the Realm and one of the three warring for the Throne in the Blessed Isle has called for a summit to discuss an alliance bent on keeping away if not totally turning back the Demon menace that made its home in Forks.

As quickly discussed in the Solar Deliberative, it would be beneficial for those kingdoms and states there to either join their efforts or keep out of the way so as not to deter our efforts. Ejava however represents a power.

My knowledge of Dynastic Society would prove useful, however it would not be wise to appear as a Dynast as it might become a detriment to the actual proceedings and these other Dynasts might force family ties on me. I went as my boisterous adventurer self with a few official Deliberators and a few “unofficial ones” including those who I discovered well into the preliminaries of the summit.

As is usual in these gatherings sponsored by Dynasts, the social preliminaries are where the initial tussles begin. Jockeying for position, cementing alliances, and of course arranging marriages are all a part of the initial social skirmishes.

As I did not Exalt as a Terrestrial, my life in the Blessed Isle was mostly removed from these kinds of gatherings and I found myself barely equipped to deal with these situations despite my initial bravado. I do commercial arguments and business deals. I’m not fond of social maneuvering. However, I should indeed study more on it.

It appears the Ragara bankers got some concessions from me but apparently, I got more back. I’m not entirely sure. And besides, we could always make use of the money. Oil in Water had the most success in meeting with the Nexus people. I’ll have to get the details from … her.

Before we knew it, it was time for the summit proper. It was quickly agreed that a standing and combined army with the might of Exalted at the head should be deployed against this demon threat. As expected, there was resistance from the Realm representatives that leadership should be from the Exalted Deliberative. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so given the assistance we’ve extended towards them, Lookshy gave the concession of leadership to the Deliberative and many of the Hundred Kingdoms also expressed their support.

Simply put, a rather juicy apple had to be hung in front of the remainder for them to accept our leadership in this matter. I proposed an educational, simple technological, and economic package to those nations in exchange for their cooperation. Prosperity does have its advantages, especially to those who wish to emulate it.

It will also serve as an excellent market for my line of Transperfect Domestic Tools. I believe those most useful in food preparation will be the ones that we should deploy first.

The proposal went about smoothly. In fact, it went far smoother than I imagine even given the Charms we employed. Everything was considered more or less resolved and moving into other issues of less importance when they attacked.

Altered mortals, some form of Akuma I gather using what seem to be Celestial level charms attacked the gathering. Some of the weaker Terrestrials and many mortal nobles were quickly taken down.

I’ll not talk any more of the details but suffice to say that the attack was repulsed. For some it put the fear of Malfeas into them for others it only strengthened their resolve. I believe it’s time to go and prepare for war.

Messages were sent. The marines have been brought down. The ships quickly outfitted.

I summon some Sobeksis and Thunder Birds to help us on our way but once across the river they prove to be a problem. Apparently, one of the Thunderbirds killed one of the Sobeksis because of some feud in the West. He has sworn to be dealt with after the battle. On the 2nd night another of the Sobeksis died but not from the Thunderbirds. I rue to meet the creature that did this as it’s far more powerful than the Thunderbird. This particular case remains unsolved and it disturbs me for some reason. In the end I had to dismiss the other Thunderbirds and summon a Garda to help with the battle.

The plan was not exactly simple. Raven would keep their Agata airforce busy at rather great risk to himself while Oil in Water would engage the ships in boarding operations. My Thunderbird and Garda would keep the other ships too busy to assist each other and the Sobeksis would destroy their steering underwater and distract the infernal worms. Delicate Bloody Rose would lead me and my lieutenants to the main barge and we would blow holes in the ballast to sink the vessel. Naoko would provide cover fire.

It went well initially as Raven was able to dodge and cut a swath through his opposition without relatively taking damage. Oil in Water captured their main escort. And we blew the initial ballast pretty quickly. However, the Garda and Thunderbird were dispatched by their Dawn Solar commander and their men were being bulwarked by charms from their Zenith. Hanya managed to kill the Dragonblooded Commander of the escort vessel when Ophilis Ses made an appearance.

He called for a parley we agreed. He informed us of another threat of Malfean nature near Chaya. He needed the weapons for his troops to stop the Demonic Horde there. He has admitted to amassing troops in Cho-Holuth. He says he will be overun if he does not get the weapons he has today. He claims his own hubris in saying he can deal with the threat himself so close to our territories. My charms say that he is telling the truth.

I challenged him to swear never to move against the Exalted Deliberative or any of its members forever. He is evasive about moving against the Deliberative after and refuses to swear. He challenges the Deliberative that they not move against his River Trade Alliance as well despite his initial hostile takeovers of our economic lifeblood. He offers no recompense for what he has taken from our and my coffers.

Delicate Bloody Rose says never to trust him and leaves in a huff. Ardent Raven is barely reining his bloodlust. Cousin Raya’s and Benjaho’s reaction to the mere mention of Ophilis Ses when the situation was presented to the Deliberative reeks of hostility. Oil In Water’s strange behavior relating to this “jyliweed” he has imbibed does not help matters. I decide that if he will not cease we will consider it an act of hostility. His own hubris will be the end of him. Should his own forces be overun it will be on his head. From the reports of Raven on the troops they do not have much of their own minds left anyway.

I refuse him then and he calls to his Zenith Ally saying to launch plan B. Apparently, the barge with the First Age hull has flying capability and Essence weaponry. Quick thinking by Delicate Bloody Rose sabotages the engines and Raven goes after Ses while Hanya Squares off against Iron Tempest, Ses’ Dawn Caste Solar Commander.

Ses sees the situation as unsalvageable and retreats using a spell. When he casts Flight of Separation I launch my own counterattack at him with a Cascade of Cutting Terror. Some quirk of Fate favors him at the time and he escapes unscathed much to my annoyance. His Solar Commander also gets away with an almost palpable cry of anguish from Hanya as she botches what would have been her killing stroke.

The flying barge crashes but we unearth it and bring the engines to Denandsor to see if they can be outfitted in our own vessels. I hope Glimmer has the time for this. The Sobeksis seem satiated as the Thunderbird died in battle making the problem points moot at the moment and I say a prayer of thanks to them given their own hunger for worship it pleases them. The Thunderbird communities given their own propensity towards battle will be thankful as well that it ended in that manner.

During our return trip to Denandsor, I find out that it was infiltrated by a Demon Blood and Decanthrope using children and almost killing 7 Flowers, Cousin Raya’s Stepdaughter. The Demon Blood openly claims allegiance to Ophilis Ses, however, I don’t believe it despite his free use of demons. I suspect someone else is using this “Divide and Counquer Tactic” believing he or she is too clever for his or her own good.

Also, I find out that the newly formed Heaven’s Hammers have been lent out to Strategos Crimson Bladebearer and Karal Fire Orchid in defense of their homeland, Lookshy. The Viziers are all too unsure of wisdom in this course of action due to the fact that they already see the doom of Lookshy.

I reject a call to go into open warfare with the River Tradinig Alliance because it would cost too much and strip the Deliberative of its own home defense. Let our operations against Ses be as subtle as he thinks he is.

However, we also need to mount a punitive expedition to Chaya to ascertain for ourselves intelligence reports from Ses that the area is overun by a Demonic Horde. We have two Dragons of the Foreign Legion assigned to us now. However, we’d best make use of it.

A storm is coming, I can feel it in my own bones, as if I were some superstitious mortal. The Viziers say this won’t be pleasant.

I am sending this delayed journal from my Recorder of Everlasting Glories.

I received rather disturbing news regarding my business around Nexus and Cho-Holuth. Hiromi Izumi brought all sorts of reports and it showed that money was being siphoned from my offices and businesses. Apparently, everything passes through Nexus.

The reports made no sense, the takeovers and embezzling were almost lackadaisical. A few Charm applications and everything made sense. I had to cut this at the nerve though. That meant either Nexus or Cho-Holuth. Since everything went through Nexus as Creation’s Financial Center, it should lead to the end, and perhaps the beginning.

The journey to Nexus was uneventful but we went in different guises. Raya and some others already had previous contact with several Exalted here. I had my own offices to tend to. We split into groups to handle our own investigations. I managed to fix all the networks and stopped the embezzling. I fired all the dupes. But that wasn’t the end of it. There was an instigator.

While scouting out the trail, we encountered Lucien, Demon of the Second Circle, chasing a very young seemingly newly Exalted Solar through the streets of Nexus. We managed to save the girl and I managed to wound Lucien, which for some reason made him retreat.

We also had the problem of another Solar apparently working for Ses raising mercenaries. Apparently, she was using Charms. We found the heart of the operations.

However, it was Raven who made the breakthrough. He captured an enemy Solar while he was sleeping. This Solar used some sort of Helltech. We released him from the spell he was under. He made bargains with us. As he left however, I what could only be Sidereal powers. He was executed. I took back the body and Raya offered him back to the Unconquered Sun.

We discovered some strange things though. Ophilis Ses has a wide ranging operation. He’s recruiting an army. There seems to be a connection between the disappearance of a reality engine and some Wyld Disturbances near Cho-Holuth. The thieves seem to be Demonic in nature. Apparently, Ses is sending his army down there. His target is either some enemy of Creation or Denandsor. A shipment of arms are headed for his army down south. The clues make no sense put together.

We move to intercept this shipment which is apparently led by another Solar. I sent a message to Tsukiko Yoko to meet us in the Mourning Wood. I wonder how this will go.

I met up with Ardent Raven, Akane Keiko, and Ambassador Sivri on the way to the Silverlight. The trip proved to be uneventful. Raven was bored out of his wits. Keiko was chattering the whole time with Sparrow who seemed to enjoy the company of the talkative Terrestrial. I stayed at the bridge for long periods of time giving an excuse for Keiko to be there and the over-energetic Sparrow to have someone to chat with. I stayed in touch with Hiromi Izumi using the Infallible Messenger. The rebuilding of Nexus is proving to be quite profitable. She’s just the right person to take advantage of it.

Finally, we had a visual of the mountain city of Orun Telva. Mountain City describes the locale perfectly. It’s a city the size of and carved into the mountains. We also spotted another mountain rather out of place in the area. Aside from not being in the mountainous area. It was cobalt blue. Sapphire Sparrow being overly excited decides to investigate.

Getting too close proved to be a rather bad idea. The mountain undulated into the behemoth we were sent to stop. Sparrow outdid herself with the evasive maneuvers. Keiko and I went outside to investigate. We were confident that our Charms would keep us safe. What we saw was an enormous head with four beaked jaws suddenly closing on a maniacally grinning Raven.

Suddenly, a sickening crunch was felt and heard as part of the sinuous body of the behemoth struck the hull. I took out my axes and summoned the power of the Unconquered Sun and rained cutting terror on the great beast. Crackling energy hit it and my Lightning Torment Axes spread it throughout its body. And while it did not disgorge Raven it flinched long enough that the Silverlight was able to get out of range. I was advised by Keiko and Sparrow to regroup.

I sent out a few Infallible Messengers to Cousin Raya and Glimmer of the Stars to request for assistance. Sparrow kept the monster interested and lured it away from the great city despite the repairs being made on the ship.

The arrival of assistance was timely. The behemoth had grown tired of chasing us. The three fully armed Battle Carriers were able to stand in front of the behemoth before it reached the main city. It had halted and given us an opportunity to think our strategy. Unsurprisingly, Raya, Glimmer, and the rest of my lieutenants, with the exception of Izumi arrived. With them were Radu and Benjaho. Apparently, those with more experience at combatting these behemoths suggested we take the way of Ardent Raven and enter the beast.

The plan was simplicity itself, the ships would provide cover fire and Glimmer would use his Warstrider to open the maw of the beast. We’d all find our way inside and take it from there. My Terrestrial lieutenants (I think I shall have to find a name for their group…), all insisted on coming and had I forbade them to go they would have found a way anyway and unecessarily complicate matters.

There was little trouble in getting in the maw though we were confronted with a rather steep drop. Keiko made some quick chainwork to provide us with a lifeline. Saki quickly noted the location of the heart. Yoko, Naoko, and Yori opened up a hole. A few Athletics Charms and a Shape Changed Radu and I was able to ensure the safe passage into the heart. I noticed that Keiko was injured but she shrugged it off, serious rather than cheerful for once. I wondered where Raya, Benjaho, and Glimmer were.

I had little time for musing as I saw the enormous heart beating and Raven hanging from the ceiling, his possessions on the floor beneath him. My lieutenants quickly formed a protective phalanx around me as we moved obliquely towards Raven ready for a trap. With a curt signal, Saki severed the lines that held up Raven and with a gesture and a little help from Yori we eased him down. He was fully awake by now and getting his possessions.

Naoko made a warning signal and pointed, though it was uneccessary as I felt it myself. A powerful being was materializing in front of us. I recognized it as a demon but its name and purpose escaped me at the moment. Two blood apes materialized to the left as well. The demon greeted us cordially and explained it was bound to do us harm. It tired of its bindings and would be grateful if it was vanquished. It introduced itself as Stanewald, She who Surmounted the Omphalos and despite my warning on attacking a Quicksilver Falcon and facing the retribution of Heaven, battle was joined.

She danced her dance and her Shadow Bodies materialized and surrounded us and we squared off. My lieutenants andI only grazed the main body and she was unable to harm us as well. And then Raya, Benjaho, and Glimmer made an appearance. They managed to hold back the Shadow Bodies and the Blood Apes while we handled Stanewald herself.

A surprise came from Oil in Water who made an appearance and suddenly mauled Stanewald. A frustrated Glimmer had used Emerald Circle Banishment on a hapless Blood Ape, crushing it into its component particles and crushing those as well. It was like squashing a mosquito with a huge Essence Cannon. Benjaho swatted aside Shadow Bodies with what suspiciously looked like Solar Hero form. Radu had torn apart the other Blood Ape and a suddenly visible Hanya evicerated a Shadow Body. The tide was turned.

As Stanewald herself was distracted and hesitant due to the actions of the other Exalts, I finally landed a solid hit that finished her off. She seemed so grateful she was banished. Maybe I shall summon her when I can. Unfortunately, we still have no idea who sent her. That aside we had to make quick our escape. This behemoth does not seem to operate well without an animating intelligence.

Orun Telva proved to be yet another challenge. We were requested to meet their delegation in front of the main gate. Apparently, there was an army and a superweapon waiting to repel us in case we decided to enter. That was according to intelligence reports by the overly enthusiastic Ardent Raven. While he went along with Hanya’s agents inside the city, a delegation headed by a very obvious God Blooded approached us.

He brought with him treasures for us and the promised premium of Orichalcum. He was very evasive and even attempted to lie to the Chosen. After much wheedling and evasion, his sire Golden Eagle finally made himself known. He proved to be the Northern animal god. After his story was related to us, he agreed to cut a deal, his production would go to us as well as his contracts with various business firms buying from Orun Telva. Notable however was that the Orichalcum stockpiles was oathsworn to someone else.

With that said, I sealed it with an Eclipse Oath. The rest is semantics. We made our way back to Denandsor. Now, my musings are cut off as a call has come from Deliberative communications to attend the Chamber. I think, I’ll go as Haru today.

glimmer of the stars

I start this trail of recollections that has happened on our exploits throughout Creation at my brother’s behest of keeping things in order. I don’t know if any of the brothers he’s had in the past had this sort of thing but I’m not complaining. I love my brother as much as they all did after all.

I am placing this within the Warstrider’s memory banks and keeping a part of it archived in my personal account in the I AM network. I hope future Exalts that would come to our embrace within Denandsor would gain access to this and learn of our adventures in the Deliberative.

If there is one thing I would remark as noteworthy for myself in this adventure, it is the fact that I have brought vengeance upon insult. I was an Exalted of the Unconquered Sun, for crying out loud, and to see a mere First Circle Demon throw back the Golden Sun’s Grace’s most exquisite combination of attacks, I will admit I was furious.

Celestial Circle Sorcery: Sapphire Circle Banishment.

The demon was dust. BITCH!

The bigger demon was, my brother admits, a formidable foe, and I am sure my skills alone would not match to banish such a – uhh… pretty demon, even if she were bound there against her will. Regardless, my fellow Celestials and Terrestrials made short work of her, much thanks to the illustrious Oil In Water, who was apparently affronted at the demon’s capabilities.

I leave my other companions to talk of other things, for I personally admit I was not much of use in that combat save for holding the behemoth’s maws long enough for them to squeeze in – my real place is in front of my plans and projects, I suppose, and little on the battlefield.

The Ambassador from Orun Telva (NOTES ONLY)

Scene: The Exalted Deliberative is at it's daily session, (which is composed of deliberators who are present at Denandsor, as opposed to a Special Session when all Deliberators must attend)

In attendance is:

Her Majesty Raya, Queen of the Exalted Deliberative and Metagalapa

His Excellency Valen, First Minister of the Exalted Deliberative

The Most Excellent Oil in Water, Speaker of the Moon of the Exalted Deliberative

The Honorable Hanya, Vizier for the Orderly Ending of Tyrants

The Honorable Genji, Minister of Trade

The Honorable Raven, Minister for Internal Peace and Order

The Honorable Glimmer of the Stars, Minister of Automaton and Essence Powered Research

Most of the day was just routine buisness but the last agenda for the day was that a native of the eastern city of Orun Telva had petitioned to address the deliberative.

Throught the previous proceedings, the Queen was idle, listening to recorded music via the I AM network and just nodding and agreeing or deferring as was typical for this sort of menial bureaucratic thing. But as the Ambassador entered the room, she paid attention to her.

Her name was Ambassador Sivri, and she had come to petition the Deliberative for help.

A great behemoth 4 miles long and with a thousand legs has been ravaging the countryside. Sivri fears it will devour the city before long. Sivri reveals the secret of Orun Telva: It has orichalcum deposits deep beneath it. It was kept a secret because magical beings would want the magical metal mine for themselves.

She promises that Orun Telva will tithe 10 talents of Oricalcum to the Deliberative, plus a thousand talents of silver in exchange for helping the city.

Raven wants more from Sivri. Sivri asks the Deliberators to negotiate with their God King, Golden Eagle.

Genji then quips why was this Ambassador so sent when she could not negotiate?

Sivri explains, she came to the Deliberative without the consent of her God King.

Genji asks Hanya to consult the Roll of Glorious Divinity for the identity of the God Golden Eagle. Hanya looks up the records and reveals that there are 8 Golden Eagles. 6 Thunderbirds, 2 of whom are missing, one Northern Animal God and one God Blood who resides in Yu Shan.

Oil in Water speaks up, and says that the Deliberative will go to the aid of Orun Telva, but under what condition is the question [GM NOTE: PLEASEEDIT IF INACCURATE. MEMORYHAZY]

Valen agrees with Oil in Water points out that it is the Exalted's duty to defend creation, so he asks the Deliberators to deal with this threat first and negotiate for more favorable terms later.

At this point Genji asks Valen if the assembled Celestials can have a private consulation. Valen agrees and dismisses Ambassador Sivri. Oil in Water promises to visit the Ambassador later after the session.

At that point the Deliberator Sapphire Sparrow (Vizier for the Prospects for Air and Water Travel) burst into the room, and apologized for being late and two seconds later committed a social faux pas, angering Hanya.

Genji asks if it is possible to scout the area. Valen says he can allow the use of the Silverlight to scout the area. Hanya tells Sapphire Sparrow to handle things. The Sidereal agrees.

Genji and Raven will scout the area and report back to the others what they found.